Hi Jorm,
you just updated the interactive prototype and I noticed that there are many changes regarding visuals (padding, user infos like post count and the like).
Does this mean that we're approaching a state were we can comment on visuals? Or should we still focus on functionality rather than UI?
Feel free to comment all you like. You should know that these visuals (the buttons, etc.) are very close to the final Agora designs that we will be rolling out. So you'll be commenting on Agora more than Flow, but as far as you're concerned, they're the same.
If you're taking feedback on the visuals, I have my share of comments. (Warning, wall of text below).
- The borders around each comment are too big and heavy. They provide too low density of text - requiring a lot of scrolling. Also while colorful, they're distracting - I want my eye to flow towards the text, not the interaction chrome. Make them low-contrast and to the left of text, like every other discussion system does for good reason.
- I find the overall navigation metaphor confusing. If I click on a notification, it shows a conversation without context, and no clear indication of where I'm located. I've barely noticed after the fact that there's a breadcrumb at the top with the label "Back to board" - it should be more clear to what place it returns (i.e. "Back to <username> board").
- I'm not sure in what order one is expected to consume the conten. The old talk pages (as well as every blog in existence since the 90's) have a table of contents that show conversations on the order of creation. With the automatic reordering, all spatial is lost. If you skip one single thread, it's impossible to tell whether you've already read it or not. The "mark as read" is a workaround - it forces the user to manage a manual upkeep of the read status, which should be automatic.
There should be a static index where all threads are located by creation so thread titles can be scanned and located quickly. Again, copy the well-proven interface of blogs and you won't err.
If you want a flowing interface to keep track of updates, that's fine, but that shouldn't be the primary navigation metaphor; conversations are different than items in the review backlog, which need to be reviewed just once. When you want to get back once and again to the same content, there must be a static structure to relate all of it; I find the blog metaphor the best one for Wikipedia, where discussions can be kept alive for months and referred to for years after they've finished. Please don't reinvent the wheel, forum threading is an already solved problem - just copy the state of the art and provide refinements on it, not whole new paradigms.
- As for the "Mark as read" button, it's unclear what will be marked when pressed: the whole thread? the whole *board*? Only the current comment? All comments above? Here you can copy the design at GMail's thread - the "mark unread from here" button available at each comment, exits the thread, and only previous comments are marked as read - everything below the button is kept unread. That's a exquisite solution, even if non-standard, and works reasonably well.
I hope these comments will help refine the interface. I have a severe case of lost-in-hyperspace case with that flow metaphor.
